The Vanishing Act
by Ink Runs Through My Veins
Summary: Seth's normal life comes to a complete halt when Scarlett falls off the side of a cliff, literally, and straight into his life. She is everything he ever wanted. Now he must figure out how to keep her there before her fears get in the way of their imprint bond and their happiness.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own the characters. I attach strings to them and shout, "Dance marionettes! Dance for my pleasure!"

* * *

Patrol sucked with two imprinted wolves. Especially since I'm not imprinted.

Seriously, it was like watching some Nicholas Sparks movie every time they thought about their imprinted. The kisses, the slow touches, the whispers of love. Blegh. I shook my mane in disgust and bounded towards the forest, my friends following my flank despite the fact that Paul was supposed to be leading.

I loved when the weather was like this. The sun was out and the forest was gleaming like jewels. Every leaf on a tree looked like an emerald. I could hear a pair of doves chirping and the sounds of two buck battling it out for territory. It was peaceful.

Too quiet.

Suddenly we heard a sound that froze us in our tracks. A human female screaming and a crash among the trees. I nodded to Jared and Paul and we raced across the forest bed. We swerved through and jumped over fallen trees as we came to the base of a huge cliff.

A human girl was groaning, her left arm twisted by her side at a very unnatural angle. Her bag had apparently cushioned her fall, but I could hear the cracking of glass. Probably a broken camera or a pair of broken binoculars. The trees behind her must have cushioned her fall or else she would probably be worse off. I saw the sunlight glint off of a broken piece of the shattered camera that lay beside her.

With another groan the girl pulled herself upwards, some of her onyx hair covering her face.

My world tilted on it's axis.

There were no words to describe how absolutely beautiful she was. Coal hair fell over her shoulders in small tantalizing curls. Her black eyes and peach-colored lips widened in surprise when she spotted us, but she made no move to scream.

"Should one of us transform and help her?" Quil asked us through the mind link. "Obviously she's injured. She needs medical help right away. Dr. Cullen should be in the area. He'll help her better than any human doctor could."

Paul agreed and sent a message to Collin, who was closest to the rez. I didn't say anything, just staring at the beautiful human in front of me.

Is this what it's like to be imprinted? Suddenly the sun shone brighter. The world and it's colors came into a clearer focus. My senses were stronger now, just by being near her. I inhaled. She smelled like jasmine and smog. Probably a city girl. I nearly drooled.

Paul had to nudge me to get me out of my daydreaming. "Check it out. Human girl is doing something."

I saw the girl stand up and grab a large stick. Immediately she began smacking it against the ground and shouting things, yelling for us to go away. When we didn't move she began to pound on the ground with her good arm.

Paul and Quil began to laugh in their heads. "What's so funny?" I asked.

Quil snorted. "She's trying to scare us off. I once read that normal wolves get intimidated by large noises. She probably thinks that if she makes enough noise, we'll leave." They burst into laughter again.

"It's not funny." I snapped, shocking them both out of their laughter. "She's a human from the city who's probably never seen a wild animal before, much less three wolves the size of minivans! Give her some slack, alright?"

Paul bared his teeth at me. I heard her heartbeat speed up. "Why does it matter what a human thinks of us?"

"Stop it!" I snapped back. "You're scaring her!"

Paul snorted. "Like I care."

"Guys!" Quil shouted. "Seriously, you can argue later. Her arm is broken and she needs some help. Seth, transform and then circle back so you can help her to safety. Paul and I will head back to the rez and get everything ready for her."

Paul bared his teeth at me again. "Don't think this is over pipsqueak. I'm going to enjoy kicking your sorry ass."

I snarled, startling the poor human again. "Just try it Paul. You, of all people, need a good ass kicking." I smirked. "I'm just sorry Rachel can't be around to enjoy it."

"Why you little–"

"Enough!" We both whimpered (though Paul would never admit it) as Jacob's Alpha voice settled over us. "We heard from Collin. I left Jared's car nearby so it won't look strange and Carlisle is on standby at the rez and ready to take her to the hospital. Stop arguing and do as Quil says."

We nodded in our heads, all of us turning around and running out of the human's line of vision. I couldn't wait to meet her.

"We heard that."

"Huh?"

"Is she your imprint?"

If I was human I probably would have blushed. "Yeah. At least, I think so."

Quil's wolf grinned. "Figured. Only an imprinted wolf would snap at Paul. Congrats man. Hope everything goes well."

I thanked him as I shifted.

It was a bit of a jog on the way back, but nothing I couldn't handle. I was more worried about her.

I had never felt so...I didn't even have a word to describe what I was feeling. It was like the moment I laid eyes on her I knew that she would be my entire world. That I would do anything she wanted just to please her. If she wanted me to jump off a cliff in Billy's wheelchair, I would ask how soon.

The sound of her whimper prompted me to speed up my jog.

When I found her she was struggling to stand up. The adrenaline from earlier was probably wearing off. "Hey!" I shouted to her. "Are you okay?"

Her beautiful eyes widened. "Thank God. I need help. I fell from that ledge," She pointed to the cliff above us. "and I think I have a concussion." She winced. "I definitely have a broken arm. Probably some broken ribs, but I won't know until I get my chest checked out."

I nodded. "I have a car about half a mile away from here. Do you need me to carry you?"

She thought about it for a minute before slumping. "Yes, thank you."

There are no words on this earth to describe how right she felt in my arms as I pulled her up against me. I felt like I had been missing something my whole life and suddenly she was the perfect piece of the puzzle.

A cough brought me out of my day dreaming. "Are you going to move anytime soon? There are huge wolves in the area," I almost laughed. "and I don't want them to come back."

I blushed. "Sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind." I started jogging towards Jared's car. "What's your name?"

"Scarlett." Beautiful.

"So why were you out here, in the middle of nowhere?"

"I was taking a hike, taking a few pictures. All of a sudden the ledge I'm on gives way and before I know it I'm falling." She sighed. "Kathy is going to kill me."

"Who?"

She waved off my question with a question of her own. "What were you doing out here, miles from any available phone?"

"I was jogging and I heard you scream." I quickly lied.

"You didn't see any wolves, did you?" She seemed terrified. " 'Cause I've seen some huge ass animals and I've never seen wolves that size before."

"They're not that common." I assured her. "So what's your favorite movie?"

She took in a sharp breath. "Excuse me?"

"I'm trying to distract you so you don't feel as much pain." I quickly defended myself. "So, favorite movie?"

She rolled her eyes. "Burlesque."

"What's that?"

She gave me a look that made me feel a little stupid. Thank goodness the car was only a few yards away. "You've never seen Burlesque before?"

"Should I have?" Note to self: research possible good movie.

"It's the movie that gives every straight guy a boner."

I nearly dropped her. "What?"

She rolled her eyes. "Stripping, Christina Aguilera, really sexy dancing, a semi-sex scene, the showing of womanly assets. Seriously? I thought every male would have at least watched it once."

I nervously laughed. "I'm not like every other guy."

She rolled her eyes again.

When we made it back to the border of the rez Carlisle was waiting with Jasper. Jasper was probably there to calm her down. All of them were grinning, so either Jacob or someone else must have told them she was my imprint. Ugh, the whole pack is going to throw a party once they find out.

I set her down a few feet away from them. "This is Carlisle." I introduced. "He's the best doctor around these parts. The guy behind him is one of his sons, Jasper. Carlisle, Jasper, this is Scarlett."

Carlisle came forward. "I wish we could have met under more pleasant circumstances, but it is a pleasure to meet you Scarlett."

She waved off his apologies. "It's fine." She spoke quickly. "I'd just like to get to the nearest hospital as fast as we can, if you don't mind." She looked almost as white as Carlisle. Her arm must have been hurting her more than I thought.

"Of course. If you will please follow me to my car I will personally escort you to the hospital." He turned to me. "Would you like to come with us Seth?"

"Of course." I said the exact same time that Scarlett said. "It's okay." I turned to her. "I don't mind. Really."

She looked like she wanted to protest, but shook her head and asked where Carlisle's car was.

* * *

Three fractures, two in her upper arm and one on her lower arm, a small concussion, and four bruised ribs. She was lucky, considering how far down she fell. She couldn't do anything strenuous for a few days and her arm had to be encased in a cast. Even then, she wouldn't be able to really move it for three weeks. Carlisle decided to keep her in the hospital overnight just to be safe and without an actual excuse, I had to leave her side.

"Seth!" She called to me before I left. "Thank you so much for helping me." Her smile could have blinded a lesser man it was so bright.

I walked out of that hospital a happy man.

I ended up wandering down to the beach where, surprise surprise, the pack plus Renesmee was there waiting for me. The stupid grins on their faces told me that I had some spilling to do.

Jared was the first one that pounced. "So, what's she like?"

I played dumb. "Who?"

He rolled his eyes and gave me a good knock on the head. "Your imprint, stupid. What's her name?"

I blushed. "Scarlett."

Leah laughed. "Only you would imprint on a girl whose name is the color of blood."

I blushed harder. It was no secret that I had a better relationship with the Cullens than most of my pack. Even so, mutual trust was slowly building between the two groups. Leah has yet to follow in our footsteps, but she tolerated the Cullens much more than she did before Renesmee was born. She tended to make blood and fang jokes when she could, except now we all knew that she was doing it teasingly instead of as an insult.

I nudged her. "Shut up."

Jacob sat down next to me and put an arm around my shoulder. "Don't worry about Leah. What's she like?"

I grinned. "She's feisty. She wouldn't accept the morphine Carlisle wanted to give her because she said she could handle the pain, even with bruised ribs and a broken arm. I had to distract her by asking her about herself. She is 24, drives a 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 because she likes the speed," Jacob, Quil, and Jared whistled and nodded approvingly. "her favorite food is tomato soup, and she currently lives in San Francisco, although she says she's not staying there for long. She came here to take a vacation as a break from her job. She said she was taking photos when the ledge beneath her collapsed and she fell."

Renesmee grinned. "She sounds wonderful!"

"Did you tell her about imprinting?" Sam suddenly asked.

I shook my head. "She's already gone through so much in just a day. It wouldn't be right to tell her about our pack right now and freak her out even more."

"You do know you have to tell her." He gently reminded me. "Or else she'll leave without knowing what you are to her."

I had to clench my fists to stop from snapping at him. I hated being reminded that she might leave. "I know." I said curtly. "I'll tell her soon."

* * *

Her voice stopped me from entering the door to her hospital room the next morning.

"What!" Scarlett nearly screamed. "What do you mean you don't have a hotel ready for me?"

"I'm sorry." An apologetic voice said back to her. "I've been very busy trying to reorganize your shows and find new venues. Not to mention my laptop was thrown out a window so I've been kind of a wreck all day."

"How was old Herby thrown out a window?"

"Don't ask." The voice sounded exhausted. "Anyways, I've canceled the Seattle show and we don't have to go to Philadelphia until three weeks from now. I want you to rest and try and recover as much as you can."

"What about you?"

"I'm taking the first flight I can to Paris in two hours. One of the owners of the venue there wants a meeting and since you're injured, I figured I would have to do until you recovered."

I heard her sigh angrily. "I wish I could go. Parisian managers are always the hardest to please."

"It's not like I'm totally helpless without you. I am _**your**_ manager. It's my job to keep _**you**_ working."

Scarlett sighed again. "I know. So you really have no hotels for me right now?"

"Sorry. I can pull some strings and get you a room at the Davenport in Spokane, but it's a three hour drive and I don't think you can make the trip on your own."

I chose that moment to knock. "Scarlett?"

There was silence before she shouted back, "Come on in Seth."

I opened the door. A woman was sitting next to Scarlett at the head of her bed. Her bright blond hair was tied back in a clip, a few small strands escaping the bun and clinging to her neck. She was dressed in a business suit, but with her tired eyes and slumped posture she looked anything but ready to tackle a business meeting in another country.

She stood up and walked so that she was right in front of me. "You must be Seth." She held out a hand. "I'm Kathy, one of Scarlett's friends."

I shook the hand. If she noticed the way my huge hand seemed to be several temperature degrees higher than her own, she gave no notice. "Nice to meet you."

Suddenly she wrapped her arms around me. I was over a foot taller than her and she only came up to the top of my chest. She smelled like breath mints and salt. "Thank you." She whispered. "Without you..." She shivered despite the fact that I was warmer than her. "I don't even want to think about what those wolves could have done to her, or if anything else happened to her if you weren't around." Kathy scrambled to write something down on a piece of paper I swear she pulled out nowhere. She placed the crinkled piece of paper in my sweatshirt pocket. "That has my business cell phone and emergency cell phone number. If you need anything at all, some money, a date, plane tickets, you call me and I'll get you what you need." Kathy grinned. "It's the least I could do for the guy who saved my best friend." She glanced at her watch and her eyes widened. "Jesus Christ, is it that time already? I need to get going if I'm going to make my flight." Kathy turned back to Scarlett, walked over to her and, to my surprise and horror, kissed Scarlett's cheek for several seconds. She then hugged Scarlett one more time, told her to call if anything else happened, and then she was gone.

Scarlett giggled at my surprise expression. "What? Was that too much for you?" I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Scarlett giggled louder. "Sorry. Kathy comes from a big family, so she tends to be really affectionate towards people she's grateful and close too."

"So you guys aren't..."

Her eyes widened adorably and she quickly shook her head. "No no. We're just _**really good**_ friends."

I almost breathed out a sigh of relief. At least she was attracted to guys. It would have been a lot harder to romance her if she was a lesbian. I replaced Kathy and sat on the chair next to the head of her bed. "How are you?"

She blew a strand of black hair out of her face as she answered. "Dr. Cullen is nice, but he thinks that it's better if I stay here until tomorrow so I don't overexert my arm." She sighed harshly. "It's not like I had anywhere else to go anyways. The hotel I was supposed to be staying at was prank called and they thought that I had booked out. They already promised a refund and my stuff is safe in the hotel vault, but I don't know where I'm going to stay for the next three weeks."

If it was one of the pack I was going to kill them. "Why don't you stay at my sister's place then?" Leah was going to flay me alive. "She's got an extra bedroom and she's been talking about renting the place out. You can stay there."

Scarlett grimaced. "I don't know Seth. I mean, I've never even met your sister. Would she really be okay with me staying there?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll talk to her as soon as I leave."

* * *

"You told her WHAT!"

I winced as Leah's shrill voice echoed through the mind link. Currently we were out on patrol together and I had just told Leah about Scarlett and my conversation that morning. Several of the others groaned at the pitch of her scream. I tried to calm her down. "Please Leah? It would be creepy if I just up and offered her a room at my house. Besides, it will allow us to have her closer. Not to mention your house is much cleaner than mine." I bowed to her, my paws almost covering my nose. "Please? For me?"

She sighed. "You so owe me for this."

I sprung up and nearly tackled her with licks. "Thank you thank you THANK YOU!"

"Alright alright!" She growled. "Now get off me you mutt!"

I gladly did as she said.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own the characters. I attach strings to them and shout, "Dance marionettes! Dance for my pleasure!"

* * *

"So this is the living room. Past that is the kitchen. You can use whatever you want. See those stairs? Second room on the left, is your room. You have your own bathroom and the towels are in the closet across the hall."

"Leah." Scarlett stopped her. "Thank you so much for all of this." She smiled. "I know it couldn't have been easy to accept a complete stranger into your home."

Leah stared at her for a minute before shrugging. "Thank my brother. He's the one who gave you a good recommendation."

Scarlett nodded. "I know. But it was still your decision and you said yes. I just want to thank you and let you know that I hope I can repay your kindness someday."

Leah nodded. "Sure. You need any help with your bags?"

"That would be great."

She looked surprised as Leah snapped her fingers in front of my face and told me to get to it. "We don't have all day." She snapped.

I chuckled and took the bags. "Yes ma'am."

"You don't have to-"

"You're injured." I gently reminded her. "I'm fine. I can handle three suitcases." I held out my arm, flexing my upper arm. "See these muscles?" I grinned. "These were made for carrying your stuff." Leah bent over, laughing hysterically. Scarlett began to giggle with her. I rolled my eyes. "Laugh it up."

"Oh believe me," Leah gasped. "I am. Wait until I tell the others about this."

"Don't you dare!"

* * *

Over the next week I took Scarlett out for a small tour around La Push. I showed her the cliffs (she seemed to be interested in cliff diving, much to my horror) the rec center and the beach. She seemed to love the beach more than anything. Every day we went down to the beach and I watched as she inhaled the salty air and gazed at the tide pools like they were artifacts from a museum.

It was fascinating watching her. She seemed to love everything about La Push which made me hopeful.

"So what do you do for a living, city girl?" I asked her at the end of that week.

She smiled. "I'm a magician."

I couldn't help but snort. She frowned. "Seriously? Like, pick a card, any card?" She rolled her eyes and rubbed her hands together before clapping and then cupping them. When she opened them, my wallet was sitting in her hands. I stared at her in shock before feeling around my pockets. True enough, my wallet was gone. "How did you–"

"It's called being a sleight-of-hand." She threw me my wallet. "Think of pick-pocketing, only with more skills and some props. I do illusions, transformation magic, escaping, and mentalism too." She grinned, her smile strangely reminded me of Collin in his wolf form when he was messing around. "I'm not some half-assed geek who wants to impress his friends."

I held my hands up as a sign of surrender. "I never said you were."

Scarlett smiled. I think my heart stopped beating. Or did it speed up? I could never tell when she was around. "I like it here."

I tried to snap out of it. "Huh?"

She giggled. "I said I like it here, in La Push." She closed her eyes and turned to the ocean to let the chilling wind play with her hair. "Everything is so colorful. It's not just an ocean of silver and white like San Francisco. It looks...alive somehow. You're very lucky to live here."

She had no idea how much my heart soared at those words. That meant she liked being here and that she wanted to live here. I decided to take a shot. "Then why don't you move here? I mean, since you like it and all. We'd love to have you." I couldn't help but add.

She looked back at me and smiled. It wasn't happy, but wistful. "I don't have a house." She explained. "All of my possessions are in three suitcases and a carry-on." She kicked at the rocks. "I've lived in hotel rooms, Rvs, and tour buses, but I've never had a permanent address. I live life by my tour schedule. If I'm not practicing my tricks for my next show then I'm hiring and firing assistants or doing a meet-and-greet with fans." She smiled sadly. "Living my life like that is really all I've ever known. Yes, La Push is unbelievably beautiful, but I can't settle down yet."

"What about a house?" I was getting desperate. "You could store all of your stuff there. You wouldn't need to take so many suitcases."

Scarlett laughed. "Houses are expensive, Seth. Besides, I would be gone for months, sometimes even years at a time. Why would I need a house?"

"To call somewhere home." I mumbled. "Somewhere to come back to." She stayed silent and kept staring at the sea. I sighed and changed the subject. "So have you ever been to a bonfire?"

That seemed to catch her attention. "No. Why? Are they fun?"

I nodded. "We have the most awesome bonfires here. We use the wood from the beach and it turns the fire blue because of all the salt. Emily makes this awesome barbecue that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Then we tell scary tribal stories."

Scarlett giggled and I grinned because I swear, I will never tire of that sound. "Sounds like a lot of fun."

I nodded again. "It is. And there's supposed to be one tonight in honor of you being here."

She looked surprised. "Me? Why?"

I shrugged. "We don't really get a lot of tourists or visitors here, so we tend to use that as an excuse to party. Everyone is excited to meet you. So will you come?"

She gave me a wry look. "I'll have to check my schedule." She giggled at my pout. "Yes, I'll go to the bonfire tonight."

I let out a whoop and hugged her before twirling her around in the air. She let out a startled scream and then a huge laugh as she stopped struggling and let herself be twirled.

* * *

I could hear Scarlett's heartbeat going faster and faster as we got closer to La Push beach. The sun had disappeared behind the horizon awhile ago, but I knew the pack wouldn't mind if we were a little late. They probably thought we were doing a little more than just talking.

I chuckled before reaching for her hand and wrapping mine around it. If she minded, she gave no notice. "Are you nervous?"

"Yes." She responded without hesitation. "I hate meeting new people. Large crowds, especially when I have to socialize, scare me."

"What about the audience at one of your shows?"

"I only have to interact with them when I'm on stage. I get a good distance and I don't have to look anyone in the eye. Volunteers come up on stage in ones which makes them easier to deal with. I only have five assistants at a time, but even that is stretching it."

I furrowed my brow. "We don't have to go if you don't want to. The others will understand."

Scarlett bit her lip (which was really not helping my case because her lips were painted red tonight and it made her face look a little too appealing which was _**really **_not helping me–) and shrugged. "I can put up with it for one night." She smiled at me. "After all you've done for me, this really is the least I could do."

"Scarlett," I said seriously. "I don't want you to do this because you feel like you owe me. I want you to meet the people who I consider my family because you are my friend. If you really don't want to do this, I will call my sister right now and we will do something else. We can go back to my house and order a pizza or go see a movie in Seattle. Whatever you want."

She exhaled. "No, it's okay." She smiled at me again. "I really do want to meet the rest of your family."

That was music to my ears. "Then what are we waiting for?"

We were halfway across the beach and already I could smell Emily's meat on the grill, which was mouthwatering as usual. I could see Jacob chasing Nessie and Claire around the beach while Quil watched carefully. Some of the other boys were playing football while their imprints watched from the sidelines. The older members sat in beach chairs around the blue bonfire. Emily was standing off to the side, grilling the meat on a giant grill, with Sam and Embry watching (with Sam watching Emily and Embry watching the meat).

To my surprise the Cullens were among small groups of my pack. Alice, Emmett, and Edward were playing football while Rosalie and Jasper watched with the imprints. Carlisle was discussing something with Sam while Esme helped Emily with the meat and Bella was sitting beside Quil.

Scarlett gasped when she saw how many people were there. I could feel her pinch herself before taking slow and steady breaths. "I can do this." She whispered to herself. "They're just people." She nudged my shoulder, pointed to the Cullens, and whispered, "Is there any reason why they all look insanely beautiful and so much alike?"

I chuckled and whispered back, "Magic."

She gave me a dry look, letting me know that my joke was flat. "I'm serious. Plastic surgery isn't even that awesome. What's their secret? Eternal youth? Life blood?" She paused. "Are they vampires?"

I could tell that everyone who could hear wanted to either laugh or hiss. I saw Rosalie whip her head towards Scarlett with something between a snarl and a frown. I laughed to cut the tension. "You're really funny, you know that?" I grabbed her hand before she said anything else that put both our lives in danger. "Let's go meet everyone."

Alice (obviously ignoring what Scarlett just said) abandoned the football game in favor of skipping over to us. "Seth!" She glomped me with a hug before hopping off me and examining my imprint. "Who is this?"

Alice being Alice probably knew, but I figured she was asking to be polite. "This is Scarlett. Scarlett, this is Alice Cullen, the daughter of Carlisle Cullen."

Scarlett held out a hand. "A pleasure." Again, if she was weirded out by the change in temperature she gave no change in expression. "Are you guys really apart of the tribe?"

Alice smiled and shook her head. "No. We're just old family friends." She grabbed Scarlett's hand and gently tugged. "C'mon. Lets go meet everyone."

By the time the sun has passed and all the wolves were full (which really says something about Emily and Esme's cooking) she had fully relaxed, joking around with my pack and surprising everyone with her magic. Her tricks were a real hit tonight. The Cullens were amazed by her abilities, even unable to tell how she did most of her tricks. She offered a thousand dollars to anyone who could figure out how she captured a fireball in her hands and held it before tossing it in the ocean. Nobody figured it out (even Edward was stumped) and she got to keep her money.

Claire fell in love with Scarlett. The older girl taught her how to take a quarter from people's ears and she fell as hard as she did with Quil. Wouldn't stop following her around and everything. Naturally this gave Scarlett Quil's approval. Jake and Jared were fascinated by her knowledge of cars and whenever she caught a breath they would startle her by asking her about some random car fact.

Edward found me as I watched Scarlett walk down the beach with a cheerful Bella by her side. "I'm happy for you man." He nodded towards the girls. "Her mind is incredibly intellectual and almost philosophical. Especially when she does her magic tricks. She likes it here. It was nothing like this when she was growing up."

"Thanks Edward. That actually means a lot." It really did. I was close to all the Cullens, but Edward and I had a special bond. He and Bella were like older siblings to me. Knowing that I had his approval meant more to me than he knew. "Any chance you could tell me if she liked me back?"

He grinned. "Not a chance. I can tell you that she likes you more than you might think."

I groaned. "Nothing is ever easy, is it?"

He patted my back. "Nothing would ever be worth much if everything was easy."

I sighed. "I've only managed to invade her friend zone and now I can't budge. What do I do?"

"I can't really say what will make her like you more." I groaned again. "I can say that you need to be patient. Her wanderlust is a lot worse than it appears. If she starts to talk about leaving, distract her."

"Thanks." I looked back at the laughing girls. "Are relationships always this hard?"

He laughed so hard he shook the log we were sitting on.

* * *

Scarlett sighed happily as she hopped into my car. "That was fun. Are they always that welcoming?"

I chuckled. "You have no idea."

She hummed. She leaned back into the seat as she spoke. "I had a lot of fun. Thanks for bringing me Seth."

I grinned. "Well it was _**your**_ welcoming party. It would have been rude not to show up, don't you think?"

That earned me a giggle and a soft punch to the shoulder. "Wise guy."

"I try."

We laughed and joked all the way to Leah's house. Her face was pink from laughing so much and it made me smile harder. She enjoyed being around my family. That meant the world to me.

Too soon we pulled up to the driveway of Leah's house. The lights were still out, so Leah must still be down at the bonfire.

I walked her to the door where she thanked me. "I had a really wonderful time tonight. Your family is incredible."

"They were happy to have you." I assured her.

Her smile lit up her face. Her eyes were shining in the light of the porch and her teeth shown between her lips. She looked happy.

I couldn't help myself. I leaned in, my nose brushing against hers until my lips came down on her lips. She moaned a little; probably the most arousing sound I've ever heard. My hands came to her hips, my thumbs wrapping themselves around the loops in her jeans. She wound her arms around my neck and buried her hands in my short hair. Doing this brought her closer to me, her body molding against mine. I shivered and leaned even farther into the kiss. If this was what getting high was like then consider me a druggie.

She suddenly gasped and pushed me away. What normally would felt like a fly bumping into me felt like a hot iron prod poking my chest. "What?" I asked alarmed. "What happened?"

Scarlett shook her head. "I can't do this." She murmured. "I-I think you need to go."

Each of her words hit me like one of Paul's punches. "Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, no it's not you."

"Then what?" I moved closer, covering her hand with my larger ones. She didn't move away. "What's holding you back from being happy?"

"Nothing." She snapped, then softened. "Sorry, I just...I need to get some rest." She pulled her hand away from mine. "I'll see you tomorrow." She murmured before closing the door.

I ran my hands through my hair and growled in frustration. What the hell was I doing wrong?

I transformed and raced away from the house, unaware of the crying noises coming back from the house.

* * *

Scarlett groaned as she came down the stairs that morning. Her head was pounding and her eyes were heavy. She probably looked as bad as she felt, but she didn't care what she looked like so long as she found a cup of coffee strong enough.

Surprisingly she found Leah already downstairs. She was casually sitting at the kitchen table, reading a newspaper with two cups of coffee already made.

"Morning." Leah didn't look up from her newspaper. "Yours is the one closest to the edge. It's black with one cream."

"It's kind of scary you know," Scarlett couldn't help but say after she downed most of her cup. "how you know how I take my coffee after only a week."

Leah shrugged, setting her paper aside. "I memorize things quicker than normal people." She suddenly grinned. "So tell me everything."

"About what?"

"About you and my brother kissing."

Scarlett barely managed to keep the coffee in her mouth. "W-What?"

Leah grinned and put down her newspaper. "I might have looked out of the window at the exact moment that you guys pulled in."

Scarlett blushed. "Spy." She accused.

Leah shrugged off the accusation. "I am. So is he a good kisser?" Leah froze and then shook her head. "Bad question."

Scarlett blushed harder as she squeaked out a little, "Yes."

Leah looked at Scarlett for a few seconds before throwing her head back and letting out the biggest laugh she's ever had. "Look, I know my brother can be a pain in the ass but he really likes you. He just wants you to be happy here, with _**him**_."

Scarlett's hands grew white as she gripped her mug tighter. "Leah, I'm afraid you don't understand. I get extremely claustrophobic when I stay in one place for too long. It's part of why being a magician suits me so well. I don't even know why I'm staying as long as I am."

Leah grew curious. "What was the longest time you've ever stayed in one place?"

Scarlett had to think hard. "Eleven months maybe? I'm not too sure. I've been moving around from place to place since I could remember."

"Army brat?"

Scarlett chuckled. "I almost wish. My parents both had well-paid jobs that required them to change work locations every two to twelve months. We mostly lived in high-end hotels and fancy condos that cost more than God. I ended up being home schooled most of the time because we couldn't stay in one place long enough to place me in a school."

"Then shouldn't you be ecstatic that someone wants you to stay in one place?"

"Would you leave the rez if it was really the only life you've ever known?" Scarlett countered. "Moving around became a way of life for me before I even knew how to walk. It's how I know how to survive."

"Haven't you ever wanted a change? Like, you meet a guy and suddenly your whole world revolves around him and you just can't leave?"

Scarlett suddenly laughed. "Why do I have a feeling that we aren't talking about some random guy more than we are talking about your brother?"

Leah had the decency to look sheepish. "A little."

"At least you haven't tied me to a chair yet."

Leah almost spit out her tea. "Are you serious?" The older girl roared with laughter.

Scarlett nodded. "Some amateur magician thought he could get the better of me on a date. I used his own trick against him, kicked his balls, and his voice hasn't stopped squeaking since." Scarlett suddenly went serious. "Listen Leah, I like your brother. He's a sweetheart and really nice, but I'm leaving in two weeks and I don't want to break his heart."

"Then stay. Don't do whatever you claim you need to do and stay."

"I can't do that. I still have several tour dates left. The next one is in Philadelphia, and then I leave for London two days after. I won't be back in the US for several months. Seth will just have to understand."

Leah paused for a minute. "Is your wanderlust really that bad?"

"It gets worse when I meet people. I form attachments and then I get nervous, twitchy. Then before I know it I'm on a plane to God knows where."

"We can help."

Scarlett shook her head. "I never said I minded."

"If it gets old then why do you still do it?"

"A protection mechanism, maybe? If I don't stick around long enough, no one can hurt me."

"We can help with that. In case you haven't noticed, we're kind of big on family and helping people and all that crap."

Scarlett grinned. "You use crap when referring to family?"

Leah didn't budge. "Seriously, we can help you. We can help you keep your wanderlust under control."

"But then what would I do? I don't have a college degree and I don't know how to do anything else but magic."

"Online classes?"

"Can't afford them. I barely make enough to support myself and my lifestyle. Besides, I can't imagine myself doing anything but being a magician."

Leah chuckled to herself. "Marry Seth and become a housewife. Problem solved." She laughed even harder at Scarlett's outrageous blush.

"Shut up." She grumbled as she sipped at her tea.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own the characters. I attach strings to them and shout, "Dance marionettes! Dance for my pleasure!"

* * *

Not even patrolling could take my mind off of Scarlett. Her jasmine scent, the feel of her lips on mine. I stumbled a few times because I couldn't keep my mind off of her. What had happened last night to make her so afraid?

"Seth!" Paul snapped. "Head out of the imprint cloud and back into patrol! We've got another ten miles, so if I'm going to be stuck with you and your daydreaming, at least keep up!"

I snorted back. "Like you didn't think about Rachel all the freaking time when you first imprinted on her."

"Don't make me skin you!" He growled as his wolf snarled.

Maybe it was excess energy from the night before, but before I knew it I had said something about Rachel and where Paul could stuff his opinions and then we were clawing and biting at each other. We nipped and scratched everywhere we could, twisting our bodies just to get a hit on each other. Jake's furious alpha orders and threats did nothing. It might as well have been background music in a full elevator.

We tumbled out onto the beach. It was a Monday morning and if humans were there, Paul and I weren't paying attention. I ended up pushing Paul into the sea. He roared as he broke the surface, snarling in my direction. Suddenly he submerged, coming out as a human.

He cussed and threatened me but I smirked, both as a wolf and as a human when I transformed. I was about to yell something funny when I heard a small scream. I turned and was horrified to see Scarlett, her eyes wide with horror. The wind played with the stray curls of her ponytail, blowing some into her face. Her hands covered her mouth in shock.

She smelled terrified.

I snarled at Paul. Thankfully he got the message and nodded, transforming to hide his nudity. She gave a small scream as she saw him transform again. He gave me a look - I think it was pity - and then ran off towards the forest.

I turned back towards my terrified imprint. "Scarlett-"

She covered her eyes and screamed, "Put some clothes on!"

* * *

"So," She started. "werewolves huh?"

I nodded. We walked along the beach, just barely staying out of reach of the waves. "Yeah. Although the technical term for what we are is Shapeshifters. Real werewolves are apparently more volatile and murderous according to some of the people who've seen real ones."

She nodded back. "I see."

"Do you really?"

She huffed. "Of course not! This is crazy! I would say I'm dreaming right now if I wasn't so sure I'm not."

"Do you mind?"

She stopped walking, choosing to stare at me so hard I thought she might be literally looking through me to my soul. "I'm not sure why, but I don't think so." She widened her eyes. "Wait, are the Cullens really vampires?" She gasped when I nodded. "Holy crap! I knew there had to be a secret to look that beautiful." I laughed and she pushed me. "I'm serious!"

"Sorry." I chuckled. "Do you really not mind that I can, you know, transform into a wolf?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't know? Aren't you the magic expert?"

She gave me a dry look, letting me know my joke wasn't appreciated. "Don't make me hit you, Clearwater. I'm pretty sure it will hurt me more than it will hurt you."

I smiled again. "Yes ma'am."

Scarlett sighed and looked out on the waves. "So what now? Is this the part where you kill me?"

Those words brought up bile in my throat. "Ki-What?" I began to sputter. "What makes you-are you seriously-you can't possibly think we have to kill you!"

She held her hands up in defense. "Hey, I'm only going off of what I've seen in movies. Usually this would be the point where you take me to your leader and he rips my head off, or I swear not to tell and we fall in love somehow after the bad guy kidnaps me."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, praying that my blush wasn't too obvious. "You watch way too many movies. We aren't going to kill you. It's against pack law to kill a human anyways. And no one is going to kidnap you either."

"You sure?"

"Positive. C'mon, I think it's time you re-met some people."

* * *

Sam and Emily's house, appropriately nicknamed, "The Wolf Cave" by many of our newer members, was already packed by the time Scarlett and I got there.

I saw Conner peek out the window before disappearing. Seconds later the house exploded.

"Hey Seth! Hey Scarlett!" Quil grinned. "Finally brought her around, huh?"

"Hey guys! Emily just made sausages. There's some left if you hurry."

Someone, I think it was Colin, wolf whistled. "Finally told her, eh? About time."

We heard Sam clear his throat in the doorway. "Why don't you bring her in, Seth? Emily and the others are waiting."

I squeezed Scarlett's hand tighter as I led her inside. She squeezed my hand tighter and tighter as I led her further into the house. If I were human I'd be worried about my circulation. "Don't worry." I tried to reassure her. "The only female werewolf in there is Leah and she likes you too much to hurt you."

Emily and Rachel were chatting by the stove when they stopped to grin at us. Some of the newer wolves were watching us with curious faces as they inhaled muffin after muffin from the gigantic basket in front of them. Leah was with them, but Kim was bouncing little Claire on her lap, who squealed in joy when she saw Scarlett. A girl named Tiffany, who I knew was Brady's imprint, stared at us for a minute before shrugging and going back to some magazine in her lap.

Emily came forward first. "I see you told her."

I scowled. "Paul and I were fighting and she saw us transform. I figured you could help her better than I could."

Emily nodded. "We'll do our best."

Kim let go of Claire, who scampered towards Scarlett (Scawett!), and turned to the boys. "Alright boys. Time for you to head out." A majority of them whined pitifully, but once Kim took the basket of muffins and and plate of sausages and threw them out the door the boys were gone in seconds. She nodded in satisfaction and turned to me. "You too Clearwater."

"What?" I gasped. "Why me too?"

She gave me a pointed look. "Because this conversation needs to be for female ears only. Get out of here and don't come back until we call you in."

"And if we get word that you've been eavesdropping," Leah casually added. "I'll kick your scrawny ass."

I pouted and turned to Scarlett, who was giggling with Claire in her arms. I tried to ignore the warmth in my chest at the sight. "Are you okay with me leaving you alone?"

Rachel waved me away before Scarlett could open her mouth. "We won't hurt a shiny hair on her gorgeous head. Now get out of here."

I tried to defend myself again but Scarlett beat me by saying, "It's okay, Seth." She gave me a reassuring smile. "I have Claire." She bounced the little girl in her arms. "She'll protect me." Claire giggled and buried her face in my imprint's shoulder. Scarlett gave me another calm smile and put her hand on my shoulder. As much as the gesture was meant to be comforting, my skin tingled and burned where she touched. "Seriously Seth, go do pack things or your laundry or whatever will keep you occupied. I'll be fine."

Even though I didn't like leaving her there alone, I knew Leah would just haul me by the scruff of my neck and kick me out anyways. So instead of sitting in a chair next to her like I wanted, I took her in my arms and inhaled the jasmine scent of her hair. "If you need anything, just call me. I may not be able to touch any imprints, but I can kick Leah's a-"

Claire squeaked as she played with Scarlett's stray curls.

"-butt in two seconds." Quil would never forgive me if he found out I was the one to teach Claire her first swear word.

"I'd love to see you try, you mangy mutt!"

Scarlett's eyes sparkled with mirth. "I'll be fine Seth. Seriously, sometimes I feel like I'm your girlfriend rather than your friend. I can take care of myself."

Leah snapped her head to me. "You haven't told her?" She mouthed. I subtly shook my head. "Do you want me-"

I shook my head again. "I'll tell her."

"Tell me what?"

I didn't realize I had spoken aloud. "I'll tell you more details when you're finished with these guys."

* * *

Scarlett almost wished she had begged Seth to stay. As comforting as the infant was, she was pretty sure a six year old couldn't protect her from three grown women and a werewolf. But Seth kissed Scarlett's forehead and walked out. The closing of the door behind him was ominous to the magician.

Claire playfully tugged on another curl, hard enough to dislodge most of the ponytail. Kim stepped forward. "I can take her for you, if you would like?"

Scarlett nodded and handed the child to the girl. Leah spoke while she tugged the hair tie out of her hair. "So how do you feel?"

Scarlett sighed harshly. "Like everything I've ever thought wasn't real is actually right in front of my face, ready to give me the headache of the century." She began to massage her temples. "Should I assume the stories at the bonfire were true?"

Emily nodded. "Yeah. The whole tribe is descended from wolves."

"What about the Cullens?"

"When Renesmee was born, about three years ago mind you," She ignored my open mouth. "We kind of made a new treaty. All golden-eyed vampires are welcome on our territory, provided they have the approval of the Cullens first."

I swallowed. "A-And they're the original Cullens?"

Kim shook her head. "As far as we know Edward, Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme were the first vampires the tribe made the treaty with. The rest came after. Bella was actually a local girl from Forks before she and Edward were married. She and Jacob were, and still are, best friends."

I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose. "Even though he's dating her daughter?"

Emily laughed. "He's not dating her. They're imprints." She went on at my obvious confusion. "Imprints are like soulmates, only more than that. An imprint is there to make the wolf stronger, a better warrior. In return, a wolf will automatically become whatever their imprint needs them to be; whether a friend, confident, or lover." She laughed again at my blush. "I'm Sam's imprint, Claire is Quill's, Kim is Jared's, Rachel, Jacob's sister, is Paul's, Tiffany is Brady's, and Renesmee is Jacob's."

I turned to Leah. "And yours? I didn't see you with anyone at the bonfire."

For some reason Kim and Emily went paled while Leah shrugged. "I haven't imprinted on anyone yet. We don't really know if I ever will, considering that I'm the first ever female werewolf."

I nodded with respect. "I knew there was a reason why I thought you were cool." They all laughed, most of the tension dissipating. "So it's not weird for Claire's family?"

Emily blushed while Leah, Tiffany and Kim laughed. "Her family thinks that Quill is the local babysitter. I've told them I'm too busy to watch her and Claire became attached to him because of that."

I snorted. "What wonderful techniques he must use to charm young girls."

Claire, innocent and wide-eyed, silently chewed on a muffin.


End file.
